Hair waving compound and process



Patented Apr. 26. 1938 umran STATES 1mm WAVING COMPOUND AND rnooass Ernest 0. Frederica, .Bronxville, andJamesO.

Brown, Mount Vernon, N. K; said Brown aasignor to said Frederic:

Application March 16, 1934 Serial No. 715,916

No Drawing.

10 Claims.

This invention relates to compounds and methods used in the permanent waving of human hair. It has for a primary object the production of an improved compound and the development of new operating conditions by which an exceptionally tight wave may be imparted in a brief time to all types of hair. The invention isparticularly effective for the waving of thin, fine hair which is always the most difficult to deal with.

In the permanent waving'of human hair, tufts or groups of strands are ordinarily coiled more or less tightly about metal rods and are then surrounded with pads of absorbent material which have previously been saturated with a solution of some special compound. The pads usually have metal foils attached which when wrapped around the tufts of hair provide reasonably tight encasements. Each tuft of hair as so prepared is then inserted in'a suitable heater, or other device, in which the temperature may be raised to, say, 100 C. and maintained for a'suitable' period of time.

Solutions of various characters have been suggested for use in saturating the pads. In the pending application of James C. Brown, Ser. No. 656,147, filed February 10, 1933, there is disclosed the advantage of using any of a number of organic amines under specified conditions either alone or in combination with ammonia. Now, we have discovered that exceptional results may be obtained by theemployment of a solution con-,-

taining three or more distinct amino compounds having successively higher boiling points. For example, a solution containing a low boiling amine, (such as ethylamine) ammonia, and a higher boiling amine (such as diethylamine) has been found to give most excellent results. parently as a solution of this character is brought to a temperature of between 75 and 100 C., the ethylamine is first volatilized most rapidly; then as the temperature rises and a large part of this constituent has been vaporized, the ammonia is set free in greater quantities and finally the diethylamine is more largely vaporized. Therefore, in a treatment extending over a period of,

say, 10 minutes, active vapors of first one and then another of theamino compounds will be more or less constantly liberated. It will be understood, of course, that a certain amount of each of the compounds will be volatilized at all times, or until completely driven oil, butas the temperature rises, the higher boiling constituents will come into greater prominence. In this way effective actionof the vapors throughout the treating period is insured with the result that the time of the treatment may be reduced.

In using the mixture of three amino compounds, as suggested above, it will ordinarily be found most satisfactory to use substantially equal amounts of the three ingredients, or the ammonia may predominateto a certain extent. The quantity of the various ingredients used may vary according to the character of hair being treated and other considerations, such as the nature of theprocess being employed. It has been found that from 1 to 10 grams of each of the compounds, diethylamine, ethylamin e, and ammonia, added to suficient' water to produce 100grams of solution, will form a very satisfactory hair waving solution under practically all conditions and for all types of hair. Ordinarily it will be found that from 2 to 5 grams of each of the constituents in sufficient water to make up 100 grams of solution will be most satisfactory. As explained in the above mentioned application, it is desirable that the solution, when utilized at ordinary atmos pheric pressure, should have a pHvalue of not less than 11.6 and not higher than 12.2. Sum cient water should be added at alltimes tokep the pH value below the higher limit specified. Furthermore, to be effective, the water content should be low enough not .to produce a pH value below 11.6. While, as stated above, it is considered preferable to employ substantially equal amounts of the three amino compounds, this may be varied to suit particular circumstance'sso that one ingredient may be used in two or three times greater proportion than another. In fact each ingredient may be varied between the limits previously specified, i. e., 1 gram to 10 grams in '100 grams of solution, independently'of the otherlngredients.

As already indicated, the strength of the solution employed should vary somewhat with the character of the hair being treated. 'For example, fine, thin hair, which is diflicult to provide with a wave, should ordinarily be treated with a stronger solution, i. e., one having a higher pH value than coarser.or heavier hair. we have alsodiscovered that the pH value desired in the conduct of the process may be varied considerably v by the development of pressure around the coiled tufts of hair. For example, if' a vapor pressure 7 of .5 pound is created and maintained withinthe foil or similar enclosure for the hair, the pH value of the solution may, and preferably should, be

dropped to between 10 and'10.5. If a higher vapor pressure is employed, the pH value may'and should be reduced evehfurther- For example, 1

if a pressure of 2 pounds is employed, the pH value of the solution may be as low as 9 and preferably should not be a great deal higher.

For a vapor pressure of 5 pounds above atmospheric, a pH value of 8 is quite satisfactory. If a :pressure as high as 15 pounds above atmospheric were maintained around the coiled hair, the permanent wave could be imparted 'with steam alone. It would not be necessary to add the ammonia or any of the amino or other alkaline compounds. Ordinarily the difliculty of maintaining a steam-tight jacket capable of withstanding 15= pounds pressurearound the hair and the danger of having steam at this pressure es: cape near the scalp of the personbeing treated will prevent the-use of such a. high. pressure; n the'other hand, a pressure of between .5 and 2 pounds, or even up 1:05 pounds, above atmospheric may veryreadily be employed with the result that a much weakergsolutionwillbe suincient to impart a permanent'waye to the hair within the time ordinarily required for treatment 'ofthis character,'or if the strength of the solution is maintained, the time may be reduced.

{While the three specified amino; compounds,

iie., ethylamine, diethylamine and ammonia, have I been found tov be particularly eflective forv the production of a tight and permanent wave, in a relatively-short period iof time,'.other combina-v tions of three o'rlmoreeamino compounds may also be employedlto advantage, .It will ordinarily be desirable to employ. ammonia as one of the ingredientsand it has beenifound thatethylamine I -j is? more effective than any other-compound as 2 berepla'ced by other amines-and particularly by a second in'gredient of the mixture; However, the diethylamine, andevenithe ethylamine, may

aliphatic. amines containing from 2- to 6' carbon .-a toms; For example, such compounds; as propyl 7 hair, 2 grams of each' ofthe ingredients,- ethylamine, diethylamine and'ammonia, may be added or butyl amines-and pipera zine maybe substituted for one orboth of the amines specified in -thejpreferred solution.

a specific"; example of afhighly satisfactory composition for the waving of an average type of w to 94 grams of water or to a similar quantity of a. solutionprepa-red in accordance with "Letters Patent No. 1,637,469'017 1,681,170. Other specific 1 mixtures which will be found superiorto waving compounds previously employed may contain'the f l n e I I r Grams Ethylamine 3 Ammonia Diethylamine f In employing a solution of the type contemplated byfthepresent invention, thetemperature able detail, it will be understood that various changes maybe made in the nature, and quantity ofthe ingredients employed-and in the conditions.

need not andxpr'eferably shouldinot be raised to the boiling point oi'water. Atemperature of, i say, C'. or between. 70 and C.;will ordinarily'be foundquite efiective, particularly it the v solution .used has a' relatively high pHvalue. When a weaker solution is employed, and especially if. the pressure a-round the hair is raised to a poin't above atmospheriaa somewhat higher temperature Willordinarily-.berequired or found desirable. When thetreatment is carried out under pressure, this maybee'stablished eitherby q the vaporization of the solution andthe confinement of thevapors or in any other convenient 7 way. as by the direct introduction of steam or vapors, generated at, any'poin't, into the enclosure around the hair. U I

While the preferred and other illustrative forms or the invention have beendisclosed in considerunder which the treatment is carried out without departing from the general spirit and scopeof' the invention. Although a water solution is pre-. Y 1

ferred, it will be understood that the amino compounds may be incorporated in the pads directly or may be distributed over or .through the absorbent pads in other ways. j What we claim isi i 1. A hair waving, composition comprising a solution in water of at least'three compounds of *the group consisting} of aliphatic amino com-e v poundscontaining two to six carbon atoms and ammonia, each of said compounds having diiler.-

entboiling points all below C.

. 2. A hair waving composition comprisingvasoj lution inwater of at least three compounds of the group consisting of aliphatic amino compounds containing two to six carbonatoms andammonia. each of said compounds having boiling pointsall.

below 100 C and spaced more than 10 C; apart.

3. A-hair waving-composition comprising a so? lution in water of ammonia, .-.ethylami ne. and

anotheraliphatic. amine contalning'two tosixcarbon atoms of higher boiling point than ethylamine but below 100 C. I

4. A hair waving composition comprising lution in .wateroi ammonia, ethylamine and in", j

ethylamine.

5. A hair waving composition comprising a solution in water of ammonia, ethylamine and dlethylamine in sufiicient quantity to produce a;

pH-value of between 11.6 and.12.2.

ethylamine, each of said ingredients being present water to produce 100 grams. of solution.

I 1 6. A hair waving composition comprising a so- U lution in water of ammonia, ethyla mine and di- I at, a in the proportion of to 10 grams in sumcient 7. A method of imparting a permanent wave to human hair which comprises subjecting thehair while coiled about a rod to the successive action of the vapors of a plurality of diflerent com pounds of thegroup consisting of aliphaticamino compounds containingtwo to six carbon atoms and ammonia, each of. said compounds having difierent boiling points during aisingle treatment. 8. A method of imparting a permanentwaye tc human hair whichncomprises subiecting the hair while coiled about a rod tothenction of the vapors ofra plurality ot'diilierent compounds of the group consisting of aliphatic amino" compounds containing 2 to 6 carbon atoms-and ame monia, the. vapors of the several compoundsbe- 'ing successively liberated in greater proportions duringthe period of treatmentIrom' a solution containing all of said com o 9. A method of imparting a permanent wave hair about a rod, wrapping thehair so coiled in an absorbent pad saturated with a solution of am monia, ethylamine anddiethylamine having a pH.

to human hair which comprises, winding a' tuft oi value of between 11.6 and 12.2, and applying heat tolvaporize the constituents. f

w 10; A method of imparting'a permanent wave] to-human hair, whichcomprises winding a tuft or. hair about a rod, wrappingthehair so coiled in an absorbent pad saturatedwith' a solution oi ammonia ,ethylamine and diethylamine having a pH value of between d-and 10.5, applying heat to vaporize the constituents, and confining thev vapors so formed to establish'a super-atmospheric pressure between .5 and 5 pounds around the hair.

'. ERNEST oi FREDERICS.

JAMES QBROWN. 

